[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 91 (Monday, June 4, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Page S2956]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                              North Korea

  On another matter, Madam President, North Korea, over the last few 
weeks, we have seen an on-again, off-again routine from the Trump 
administration when it comes to the potential summit between President 
Trump and Kim Jong Un. Now that the meeting will seemingly proceed as 
planned, we want to make sure that the President's desire for a deal 
with North Korea doesn't saddle the United States, Japan, and South 
Korea with a bad deal.
  We are all hoping the President succeeds. We are all rooting for 
peace. We very much hope he will be able to achieve a strong and 
enduring agreement because the danger of a nuclear-armed, ICBM-equipped 
North Korea is very, very real to the United States. But the President 
needs to be willing to take time to construct a good deal, and if he 
finds that one is not achievable, the President must be willing to walk 
away from the table.
  In a letter to the President, Senator Menendez and I strongly urged 
the administration to ensure that any agreement with North Korea meets 
five key principles.
  First, North Korea must dismantle or remove every single one of its 
nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons.
  Second, North Korea must end the production and enrichment of uranium 
and plutonium for military purposes and permanently dismantle its 
nuclear weapons infrastructure. That means test sites, all nuclear 
weapons research and development facilities, and enrichment facilities 
have to be destroyed.
  Third, North Korea must continue to suspend all ballistic missile 
tests.
  Fourth, North Korea must commit to anytime, anywhere inspections for 
both its nuclear and ballistic missile programs, including all 
nondeclared, suspicious sites. If inspectors reveal any violation, we 
must be permitted to implement snapback sanctions.
  Lastly, any agreement between the United States and North Korea must 
be permanent.
  If President Trump meets with Kim Jong Un and reaches a deal that 
meets these principles, he will have made the world a much safer place. 
But if he tries to reach a deal with Kim Jong Un just for the sake of 
reaching a deal, and if the agreement fails to live up to the 
principles we have laid out, then he will have been bested at the 
negotiating table yet again.
  These five principles are the lens through which Senate Democrats 
will evaluate any deal with North Korea. If the deal doesn't live up to 
these standards, then the President should not expect Democratic 
support in the Senate if he tries to lift sanctions to implement an 
agreement.